Torn Away From the Books
by TheSilverArgents
Summary: "Davey, buddy, if I was able to marry the daughter of one Joseph Pulitzer you'se at least got a chance with the daughter of the Surgeon General of the Unites States of America."


_A/N: I just had this sudden urge to write about Clara so that you guys can get to know her a bit more seeing as I think she might show up in many other fics to come. This one features a good dose of lambcuddles, because without them, Davey and Clara probably wouldn't have met. Send in prompts, guys!_

Clara didn't know how Katherine convinced her to do it, but she's taken a night off from studying, wearing one of her simple but festive dresses, and standing in front of Jack and Katherine Kelly's door for dinner. Katherine told her it would just be dinner with friends, so she wasn't sure if it would be a few people or the entire newsboy union. All she knew was that she'd rather be at home re-reading the nursing textbook for what was probably the thousandth time. She knocked on the door and within 3 seconds it swung open to reveal a glowing Katherine.

Her chestnut hair was up in a twist and she seemed to radiate happiness, marriage became her. Of course, Katherine always looked that way whenever she was with Jack, but it seemed to roll off of her in waves now. Clara was sure, Jack was a hundred times worse. "You're finally here!" Katherine pulled her best friend in and shut the door with her foot. Clara's eyes took in the sight in front of her.

Their apartment was small, but not cramped. It had a cozy feeling to it and she began to see the marks that the couple had finally started getting comfortable. Katherine's typewriter was set up on a desk in what Clara assumed was the living room. There was a set of paintbrushes on the fireplace mantle. It was a home. "Oh Katherine, this is so nice!" Clara enthused for her friend. It truly was nice. She knew the strain that Katherine's relationship with Jack put on the relationship with her and her father (not that it was all that great in the first place) and was pleased to see that her best friend let nothing stop her from getting what she wanted. It had finally paid off. Then her eyes landed on someone familiar, "David, right?" Clara called out to the familiar man.

His head snapped up and she mentally congratulated herself on getting his name right. His face split in a smile and he asked, "Um, Clara, right?"

She smiled back at him and walked over to shake his hand. They had met once at Jack and Katherine's wedding. He'd come over to talk to her and they shared a dance or two. He was a nice, pleasant man who spoke and laughed while they danced unlike those god-awful gentlemen who silently waltzed her around the ballroom. "How are you? How's law school?" She asked while she shook his hand and Katherine slipped away to see Jack.

"Oh, great! I have an exam in two days though, but Jack sorta forced me to come tonight. Said something about needing time off." David shrugged as if it was something that happened to him all the time. Clara nodded in understanding and then spoke, "Katherine told me the same thing, though it's funny coming from her." She raised her voice slightly to make sure Katherine would here her and was satisfied when she heard a snort of laughter that sounded like Jack's followed by a smacking sound and a resounding, "Ow!"

She and David laughed when Katherine poked her head out of the kitchen, "You spend all your time buried in that textbook that you've read three hundred times, Clara Wyman. The least you could do is step out of your apartment for some fun."

Clara stuck her tongue out at her and Katherine returned the gesture happily. It was something they had adopted when they were children and haven't (probably won't ever) grow out of. One would poke fun at the other and then they'd stick their tongues out at each other. Their mothers and governesses chastise them for it, but Clara and Katherine developed a resistance to their complaints and blocked them out.

She heard a laugh come from beside her and turned to see David covering up a smile at the event that he hd just bore witness to. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but Jack called out "Dinner's ready!" and her words died on her lips.

* * *

Dinner was amazing and she was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Jack Kelly, union leader and cartoonist could add chef to the list of things he could do amazingly well. Clara might have slipped in one joke about Katherine's cooking (there was an incident in her kitchen that the head chef still hasn't forgotten) and Katherine's cheeks turned pink probably thinking about the very same incident. David slipped in a joke about Jack Kelly the Chef which resulted in a dinner roll hitting David in on the forehead. After dinner, Katherine took the dinner plates into the kitchen and put them in sink, declaring she'd take care of them later and brought back a bottle of wine.

"That isn't very legal, Katherine." David warned as she passed the bottle to Jack and he pulled the cork out, throwing it at David's head. He ducked so that it sailed over the spot that his head had been occupying only a few seconds before. Jack poured a glass for Katherine, then for Clara (which she took with only a little bit of hesitance), one for David (who was perhaps even more reluctant) and finally a glass for himself.

"So Clara, you study nursing?" David inquired after a sip of wine. She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Katherine cut her off. "She _should_ be studying for a PhD in medicine; be this century's Elizabeth Blackwell." Katherine was _still_ bitter about it. The argument had been the only true fight they'd ever had, but it was in the past now. Clara's need to please her mother had driven her away from her dream of being a doctor and Katherine didn't stand for Clara going halfway through with her dream. "By the time you graduate it'll be the new century, our century! You should do what you love." Katherine had begged her, but she refused, believing she should take it slow.

"I know, but mother's only just started to be fine with me going into nursing. Father, of course, would be thrilled. But, he's happy I'm doing something with medicine, either way." She agreed, taking a sip of wine.

"Oh, so your dad's a doctor?" David asked with interest, leaning onto the table.

Katherine snorted into her glass of wine and Clara gave a little chuckle. Both men looked bewildered by the women who were now giggling a little bit. Jack slowly pushed the glass of wine out of Katherine's reach, but she swatted his hand away. "He's, um, something like that ." Clara chuckled out, sobering up a little bit.

"What, he the surgeon general or something?" Jack asked with a teasing lilt in his voice.

"Hit the nail right on the head, Mr. Kelly!" Clara exclaimed with wide eyes as hers and Katherine's laughter bubbled up again.

"That was quick, cowboy, I'm impressed." Katherine laughed as she bumped her shoulder with his.

"Clara Wyman as in Walter Wyman's daughter." David said in disbelief as he made the connection." He leaned back into his chair, a mask of shock on his face.

Jack began laughing and put his glass of wine down (well what was left of the wine), "Davey, buddy, if I was able to marry the daughter of one Joseph Pulitzer you'se at _least_ got a chance with the daughter of the Surgeon General of the Unites States of America."

David began spluttering and Clara's shade turned a shade pinker and Katherine smacked Jack on the chest trying to hide her laughter.

* * *

The rest of the evening went on without a hiccup, they had all laughed until their stomachs were hurting as they told stories from when they were kids and Jack and Katherine told them anecdotes from their honeymoon. But finally, it had reached midnight and Clara decided she had to turn in for the night. Katherine complained for a minute, but relented when Clara began going on and on about school.

She grabbed her purse and got up from her seat at the table, said her goodbyes and walked to the door. "Wait, Clara! Let Davey go with ya." Jack exclaimed.

David's head snapped on his friend's direction in confusion. "No, don't be silly." Clara assured him, "I don't want to be any trouble."

"Davey," Katherine asked ignoring Clara, "Make sure she gets into a cab, okay?" Davey nodded and opened the door for her, shrugging. Clara turned around to see Jack and Katherine looking at each other mischievously and rolled her eyes and followed David out the door.

"They planned this, didn't they?" He asked flatly after a moment or two as he kept pace with her.

"Oh, I believe they've been thinking this one over all night." She sighed and shook her head with a smile as they made their way out of the building. She wrapped her green scarf around her neck and he asked suddenly, "You like the color green?"

Her eyebrows knit together at the question, but nodded. "How did you guess?"

"Well, green scarf, green dress at the wedding, and when I was helping those two," He nodded in the direction of Katherine and Jack's apartment, "move into the apartment I found this green notebook with the name Clara written on it in one of Katherine's boxes."

"My chemistry notebook! I've been looking for it for months now! I've had to start a new one!" She exclaimed with a bit of relief of having all her old work back.

"Chemistry?" David's eyes had widened and Clara suddenly realized he was impressed with her. The only people who'd actually been impressed by her were Katherine, Adelaide, and her father.

"Um, yeah. It's just a hobby of mine." She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, suddenly a bit shy. Only the aforementioned three people actually knew how smart she was.

"I think that's really...amazing." David admitted running a hand through his hair and then stuffing it in his pocket. "I always had trouble with that sort of stuff. I like sticking to the law books."

A cab was turning onto the street and Clara signaled for it to pull up for her.

As it approached she asked, "So do you think you could get that notebook back for me?"

"Now?" David asked perplexedly, noticing the cab was getting closer and closer.

"No, tomorrow. Ask Katherine for my address, tell her your giving me my notebook back." She stopped for a moment, but then made a decision, "Don't tell her you'll be walking me to school tomorrow."

David laughed, his eyes brightening a bit, and asked, "Oh, am I?"

Clara straightened up as the cab pulled over for her and primly said, "Only if you're lucky. And on time. School starts at nine so, be there by eight-thirty." She stepped into the cab and tucked her skirts underneath her as she sat down.

"Eight-thirty, then?" Clara asked David, some of her uncertainty leaking into her voice.

He nodded with a smile starting to form on his face, "Eight-thirty on the dot, Ms. Wyman."

She rolled her eyes at the name, but he saw something in her eyes and he had the urge to know more about her.

After she gave the cab driver directions and rolled away with a final wave at him, David stared after the electric taxicab in a sort of disbelief.

Well, it was time to ask for the notebook.


End file.
